YAMAHA NP-12 Piaggero - Slimline Home Keyboard for Hobbyists and Beginners, in Black

Product Information

One more thing you might have noticed is the existence of ‘ Graded Soft Touch’ on the NP-32. This might lead you to believe it’s a weighted keybed. This is false, and we’ll talk more about this once we reach the Keyboard section of the review.

Headphones come in very handy when you want to practice in private, focusing solely on your playing and not disturbing others nearby. But, a t a low price, and a fairly good design, you’re getting good value. The Yamaha NP-12 has enough features for a beginner to get started. You may find yourself needing a more in-depth keyboard down the line (especially since there are only 61 keys on this keyboard), but this is a wonderful place to start. This is great for analysing your performance levels, highlighting just how suitable the NP-12 is for beginners and novices looking to become more skilled. Speakers aren’t anything special but still offer good sound quality and volume, although the audio output means you can connect to external speakers. The default piano sound will probably be your mainstay. At first glance, the piano sound is nearly identical to that featured on the PSR-E363, but playing it shows there’s a lot more variation to be had. Another fantastic feature is the inclusion of a metronome. It’s perfect for beginners that need some help keeping pace with the rhythm, also helping to better understand when you need to slow down or speed up.Beyond this, you can create a range of different sounds. For instance, there are two great electric piano sounds available, including a vintage sound common in the 70s, along with a more classic 80s synth-like sound. Dual Mode is the only extra play mode you get and it’s sometimes called ‘Layer Mode’ on other keyboard brands. The same principles apply to the NP-32, but you can also hear a few different samples being included. This is particularly obvious when you play intense parts at a high velocity. This enhances the feel of realism, and I’m always happy to hear that. OCTAVE. You can transpose up or down 1octave to adapt to different voices to different sound registers, this can also be applied individually to each layered sound.

Finally, let’s talk about the ‘ Graded Soft Touch’ featured on the NP-32. Theoretically, a graded keyboard means the keys at lower registers are heavier, but the higher registers are lighter. AC Adaptor (PA-150) or 6 x "AA" size batteries (alkaline [LR6], manganese [R6] or Ni-MH rechargeable batteries)The term ‘ reverb’ is short for ‘reverberation,’ and if you know your physics, these are emulations of how a sound reacts in an enclosed space, like a room or hall. The Strings sound is very balanced. It’s a large chamber orchestra sound, and while it sounds very digital, the velocity sensitive keys can be played in a way that convinces the listener that the dynamics of a real orchestra are there. Today, we’ll run the NP-32 (and by extension, the NP-12) through our rigorous review process, and we’ll let you know why it’s one of the better choices for music newcomers. Other available sounds include organs, strings, vibraphone, and harpsichords, so there is plenty to play around with. In fact, using the dual mode to layer two different sounds at once allows you to produce an even greater variety of sounds, all of which are clean, well replicated, and generally fun to play.

If you feel like you absolutely need more that 61 keys, go for the NP-32. Otherwise, the NP-12 performs just as well as the NP-32, if not a little better because of its portability. Final Thoughts Overall, the sounds are clean, well made, and varied enough to have a lot of fun. Other Key Features Yamaha is one of the digital keyboard brands that is constantly updating and refining its products. It’s no surprise then that the NP-12 is the successor to the popular NP-11, and that it debuts alongside other keyboards in the series like the NP-32. The NP-32 is a little more expensive since it is a 76-key keyboard, while the other two are only 61-keys. If you’re the kind of player that needs closer to a full 88-key range, you’re going to have to spend a little more to get the extra keys. Yamaha have done a fantastic job of capturing the sound of a grand piano and putting it into something much smaller. The other sounds that you get with the Yamaha NP12 are also great, especially the electric piano.They do have some weight to them and I did like the bounce of the keys. Again, quite surprising to find how nice it played when you considered they are not weighted. Dual Mode allows you to play two sounds simultaneously with each keypress and allows you to get richer sounds with minimal effort.

Polyphony is a measure of how many notes you can play simultaneously without cutting off earlier notes. As such, if you play 65 notes around the same time, the 1 st note you played will stop abruptly.Despite being unweighted, Yamaha does include velocity sensitivity, and it is responsive, like with the PSR-E363. You can come to grips with dynamic control, an absolute must for any pianist or keyboardist. A total of ten sounds gives the NP-12 plenty of versatility. Perhaps the most noteworthy of these is the stereo grand piano. Created using a sample from an authentic Yamaha grand piano, the sound replication is fantastic, and certainly the most impressive available. Moreover, a good pair of headphones will provide a clearer and more detailed sound compared to the onboard speakers. As with most Yamaha instruments, each voice comes with a default reverb setting, which I find well-tuned. Unless you’re chasing a specific tonality, you should be fine with the defaults.